Chef School – Lesson 3

I want to take you back to the tropics and talk about another root/tuber. Let’s talk about Otoe aka Malanga, Yautia   

What is it?  

  

Otoe or Malanga has a brown, sorta hairy peel which is barely thicker than that of a potato. There are a few different varietals, some will have white flesh, while others have a beautiful purplish pink flesh. Both of them are speckled by little brown dots that look like pepper. The texture of malanga when cooked is very similar to a potato. It is often ground into a paste that can be made into flour.   

  

How do I select it?  

Squeeze it. Look for firm, well-formed tubers, free of blemishes. Malanga should be firm without any soft spots. It has a short shelf life, so make sure to make use of them as quickly as possible.  

How do I cook it?  

First, you need to peel it; a potato peeler works quite well. Use caution when peeling as the flesh tends to have a bit of slickness once the peel is removed. Trim both ends and any unsightly spots. Rinse and cube as needed.  

Once cooked, otoe will still have a slightly lilac color

 

Last week I provided some tips for picking yuca, check that post here.